It seems that the efficiency that a teacher manages the classroom depends on the context. Each class is different and classrooms are a body formed of many individuals and individuality that form one class. The best teachers are the eclectics who chose different methods appropriate for the different students gathered in that class.
Teachers can have four types of power in the classroom.
- referent power - when students like the teacher and the teacher likes and cares about the students
- expert power - based on professional competence. If the teacher is perceived as having the knowledge and skills that will help them acquire that knowledge, and most of all students must value that knowledge and skills.
- legitimate power - is all about the authority of the teacher; or "the teacher said so," "the teacher rules" not as efficient when teaching in secondary schools where adolescents try and sometimes succeed to challenge the authority.
- reward/coercive power - which require consistency in teacher behavior of assigning the reward or punishment, and students must see the connection between their classroom behavior and the reward/punishment, also students must see the reward as being a reward, punishment as being actually a punishment. Rewards can be external or verbal.
Teachers should be careful with rewards and praise. Sometimes praise can be too much (yes, there is such a thing as too much praise).
Schools are expected to produce good citizens who are able to control their behavior, care for others, and make good decision.
With younger children, then we should focus our classroom management on student-directed classroom management. In this model students are responsible to control their behavior and capable if given the opportunity. That way they will become self-directed, responsible, independent, and caring. In the student-directed classroom there is much place for choices. This model seems to be appropriate in elementary classrooms where the teacher and students spend long periods of time together. There is more time for choice and follow up and discussions.
Collaborative management implies the common responsibility of the students and teacher for all that happens in the classroom. The major goals in a collaborative classroom are to develop students that are engaged, successful, respectful, and cooperative. Rules and procedures are developed collaboratively. There are choices but limits as well, there is respect and discussions on the rights for all.
Teacher-directed management will focus on creating a classroom environment where rules and classroom management issues play a minimal role since all students are capable and responsible, and behave in a conventional way. Problems are dealt with at once and fast. So no time is really wasted on managing behavior. However the teacher needs to pay attention to individual differences since they are important when the rules and rewards/punishments are developed.
We once again concluded that classroom management is a matter of the environment and that involves individual classrooms, as well as individual students in the classroom (just like the between vs within in statistical methods :-)). In the same time it is a matter of who the teacher is. More experience always will bring more wisdom, and "too much" experience might bring a bit of rigidity with it as well. We also pointed out that as we grow older the gap between the teacher and students will be larger; and teachers need to keep up to date with new trends in technology as well as music and celebrities. Otherwise it will be rather difficult to design activities that are targeted to students' interests.
As in the video we watched (City Teacher), it is always a good idea to get some advice from expert or master teachers, as well as it is good to have someone supportive in higher power :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment